burying things

Question
Hi. I have recently gotten a Bordie Collie for our household. She is now 13 weeks old. And it must be said that she is the best behaved puppy I have ever encountered. Her patience is astronomical and her smarts amaze me. We have had her now for a  total of 3 weeks. We have gotten her a few toys to make her own so hen she would try and nip at something that wasn't hers we givee her one of her own toys to chew on.
She loves her toys. So much,that all day she buries them. And I mean all day. In the couch. Beside the bed. At hte edge of the table. The funny thing is that, we are right beside her when she does it. She jumps up on the back of the couch and buries things under our legs. And she will cry if she can't find a spot to bury it. She will pace and cry until she can put it somewhere "safe" That's what it seems like she's doing. Is this normal for this breed to do this? We just find it comical because I've never seen a dog so persistent with her toys.
On behalf of "Dig-it-all",her mommy, Christina

Answer
Hi Christina,

Congratulations on getting the puppy! I bet at 13 weeks old she's beautiful.

Border Collies are pre-programmed to gather things that move and put them into a nice neat groups and keep them there. In this case... and at this age, your puppy is focusing on her toys (even though they don't move), but that may change as your puppy grows.

I think hiding toys normal, and quite harmless. If your dog starts herding people in your home, then you need to train the dog that people are the ones who are charge, since the behavior can lead to dominance issues.

You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned your puppy's persistent behavior about her toys. Some might call it obsessive, and it can become a problem as your puppy gets older.

Border Collies are VERY ACTIVE and if they don't have a job (like herding stock, retrieving frisbees, or running agility courses) they will invent one. It can become problematic when the self imposed "job" becomes chasing neighborhood children, or even cars.

Obedience training would be really be great once your puppy is 3-4 months old. For a puppy that young, the intro to obedience is called "Puppy Kindergarten".
Besides the obvious benefits of having a dog that listens to commands, obedience training is particularly good for Border Collies because of their intelligence. The commands and discipline gives them something to focus on.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti